Media consumption has become a multibillion dollar industry that continues to grow rapidly. Beginning with the advent of compact audio and video formats such as MPEG-3 and MPEG-4, these technologies have made it easy for users to port music and video into portable devices such as cellular phones, and media players in very small form factors. Because of the small file size produced by these media formats, Flash memory has in large part replaced compact hard drives previously used by these portable devices, thereby improving their durability and battery life.
High resolution displays such as high definition television (or HDTV) and high resolution computer monitors can now present two-dimensional (2D) movies and games with three-dimensional (3D) perspective with clarity never seen before. Consequently, home viewing of high resolution content has become very popular. Additionally, high resolution displays have helped to increase the popularity of gaming consoles among teenagers and adults. With high speed Internet access, gaming console manufacturers are now able to support multiuser games over broadband connections without trading off video resolution.
Movie producers are beginning to focus their efforts on producing 3D movies that require 3D viewing glasses. Some blockbuster 3D movies such as Avatar™ have motivated manufacturers to produce television sets that support 3D viewing with polarized glasses.
Collectively, improvements in viewing, audio, and communication technologies are causing rapid demand for consumption of all types of media content.